MIDDLETOWN — City officials said a Friday bust that uncovered marijuana and a "small arsenal of weapons" disrupted a major criminal enterprise operating in the North End and will significantly improve the safety of city residents.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Daniel Drew and Police Chief William McKenna showed reporters the results of an investigation and a search warrant served by the police department's street crime unit Friday.

Police have charged Vincent A. Sullivan, 24, of 498 High St., with a host of weapons and drug charges.

Inside Sullivan's apartment, police said they found an AR-15 assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a loaded .40-caliber pistol, more than 860 rounds of ammunition, about 1.6 pounds of marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, a bulletproof vest, "suspected diamonds" in a prescription pill bottle, a Taser, $14,000 in cash and a laptop computer that was stolen from a Wesleyan student in April 2012.

The pistol, a Smith & Wesson SD40, was reported stolen in Cromwell in November 2012.

"This was a very significant narcotics and firearms seizure, and to go along with that were a lot of street-level crimes," McKenna said.

"We're not going to tolerate this type of activity in our city," McKenna said.

Police also found that the apartment — which police said Sullivan shares with his fiancée and infant daughter — was "extensively furnished with expensive electronic equipment," and a surveillance system recording the entrances to the apartment. A number of computers were also found.

McKenna said it was likely that many of the items were stolen during burglaries in the area and then traded for drugs.

Sullivan told police that he bought the Stag Arms AR-15 in a private sale in Brooklyn, Conn. He claimed that he obtained the pistol from a Cromwell man who owed him money and bought the shotgun from Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington six months ago.

He told police that he buys $3,000 worth of marijuana and sells it for about $3,300, according to the release. Police said the drugs they seized had a street value of about $15,000.

McKenna said the guns will be sent to police labs to be analyzed to determine if they were used in any crimes.

"There's no telling what would have happened in the future with these types of weapons on the street involved in the drug trade," Drew said. "This was a very serious criminal enterprise our police department stopped through their investigative techniques. They've just made Middletown safer through their efforts."

Sullivan faces charges including possession of more than 4 ounces of marijuana, possession of a hallucinogen, two counts of possession within 1,500 feet of a school; possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a hallucinogen with intent to sell, operating a drug factory, possession of drug paraphernalia within 1,500 feet of a school, illegal possession of an assault weapon, risk of injury to a minor, fourth-degree larceny, possession of a stolen firearm, driving with a suspended license and operating a motor vehicle with a cell phone without a hands-free device.

In Sullivan's Ford van, police said they found an iPhone, a Toshiba cell phone, a camcorder and $3.

Police checked with the Department of Labor and found that Sullivan reported earning only about $12,000 since 2010.

Sullivan was arraigned Tuesday in court. He is being held with bail set at $350,000 and is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 17.